HAPTO

A person confronted with a work of art typically stands in front of it, looks at it, and walks away. But what happens if that person can't or doesn't want to see it? Then, for example, what happens to Antonio Varela, a mining engineer who went blind two years ago, happens. He, in front of the mural Chile, by José Venturelli, perceives differently. The eruption portrayed evokes decades of work with minerals, the sound of stones colliding, its ancient history, the heat of the eruption and the life full of smells and textures that is generated after the destruction.  

Aesthetic experiences like this, multisensory and active, are what Antonio will share along with the other guides of the HAPTO Project.

This is not a guided tour or a talk, this is more of an experience and one with a name: Seeing without seeing. Eight blind or low vision guides will be in charge of leading a group of blindfolded people who will confront works from GAM's heritage collection with their other senses, to get to know them, perceive them and bond with them and with the group. Among the guides is Rodrigo Rojas, who explains: "It is not just tactile, it is perceiving with the whole body. I think it is a very good way for the rest of the people to know how we live, how we feel, how we can perceive."

The process was long. For three months, 12 applicants were prepared. They were trained in cultural mediation, performing arts, aesthetic education, group management, body and vocal expression, among other subjects. They also learned about GAM's heritage collection and how to move within the space. Finally, eight of them are the guides of the HAPTO Project.

Why HAPTO? Because of the Greek concept that refers to touching, healing, uniting. The idea, of course, is not only to perceive the works and the people who make up the group in a different way, it is also about promoting respect for differences, collaborative work and social inclusion.  To this end, the GAM Mediation area developed this project, financed in its first year by the I.D.E.A Fund for Inclusive Businesses of FOSIS in alliance with the Luz Foundation, and in 2015 the continuity of the project is thanks to obtaining the FONAPI Inclusive Projects Fund from the National Disability Service SENADIS. 

As part of the project and to expand the ways of accessing art and culture in GAM, an audio guide was created to take an artistic and historical tour of the building according to the experience of a blind person.  The audio guide is free and can be downloaded in mp3 at gam.cl. There will also be information about the heritage collection printed in Braille.